Georges Besse

Georges Besse
Born	(1927-12-25)25 December 1927 Clermont-Ferrand,France
Died	17 November 1986(1986-11-17)(aged 58) Paris,France
Alma mater	École Polytechnique,Mines ParisTech
Occupation	Businessman

Georges Besse(25 December 1927 – 17 November 1986) was a French businessman who helped lead several large state-controlled companies. He was assassinated outside his Paris home by the armed groupAction directewhile he was the CEO of car manufacturerRenault.

Résumé

• 1958 - General manager of USSI Ingénierie, a uranium enrichment firm
• 1964 - Assistant general manager of CIT-Alcatel
• 1974 - President ofEurodif
• 1978 - Chairman ofCOGEMA
• 1982 - Director of Pechiney-Ugine-Kulmann
• 1985 - Director ofRenault

Renault

Besse became the head of thepublic-ownedRenault automaker in January 1985. He was credited with taking the money-losing company to reporting aprofitonly two months before he was gunned down. He was criticized because his plan to make the bloated enterprise efficient included closing plants and laying off 21,000 workers. Labor unions opposed his actions in Europe, as well as his support for Renault's investments in the United States, such asAmerican Motors(AMC), which was also financially unsound. It invested resources into AMC for launching newJeepvehicles, upgrading tofuel injectionfor updated2.5 Land4.0 LAMC engines, as well as a new factory inBrampton, Ontario.While some Renault executives and labor leaders perceived AMC with negative bias, Besse championed the future in the North American market just as Jeepfour-wheel driveswere riding an unprecedented surge in demand. Not only did Besse make Renault profitable, but AMC was also on course to profitability with growing markets and sales.

Assassination

Besse was gunned down at about 20:25 in the evening of 17 November 1986 on the sidewalk at the front steps of 16 Boulevard Edgar Quinet, walking to his 18th-century villa at 12 Boulevard Edgar Quinet — in Paris'14th Arrondissement,the Montparnasse district. It was witnessed by one of his daughters, who observed the street from an upstairs window while waiting for his 20:30 return.

Besse's killers approached just as he alighted from hischauffeur-driven car a short distance from his home.Witnesses said he was shot four to six times, in the head and in the chest, dying almost immediately when he fell on the pavement. Reports varied on whether the assailants escaped by car, motorcycle, or on foot.

Leaflets by the militantanarchistorganizationAction Directewere sent three months later. The organization claimed responsibility for the murder, stating the murder was in retaliation for his reforms of the financially stricken automaker Renault which involved laying off a large number of workers. However, the Action Directe members denied any responsibility during their trial.

Two women,Nathalie MénigonandJoëlle Aubron,were charged with his murder in March 1987 and were sentenced to life imprisonment in 1989. Two other Action Directe members, Jean-Marc Rouillan andGeorges Cipriani,were convicted as accomplices and also sentenced to life imprisonment.

Commemoration

Renault's car assembly plant inDouaiin northern France, was renamed in Besse's honour.

The Georges Bessegaseous diffusion uranium enrichmentplant was operated byCOGEMA(laterAREVA) from 1979 to 2012 atTricastin,then replaced by the Georges Besse IIcentrifuge enrichmentplant.

See also

• American Motors Corporation(AMC)
• List of assassinations